Nothing lasts forever
by procrastinator65
Summary: After a while people will naturally drift apart, Lucy realises that even though they were once the strongest team of Fairy Tail and the best of friends, nothing can last forever.


**A/n: So without boring you all too much, the idea for this story is based a bit on my own experiences. How you have friends you'll never think you'll separate from then before for you know it, you see them in the street and you're like strangers despite having spent most of your school lives together. So I was pondering this and I thought "hey I should turn this into a tragically angsty fanfic"**

**XxX**

Nothing lasts forever

They were the closest of friends and were dubbed the strongest team in Fairy Tail. However time took its toll they spent more time apart each with different life objectives. Bonds fade with so much time away, after all nothing lasts forever.

It had been two months since she'd seen a member of her former team and even then it was only for a few minutes before Gray dashed off on another mission. They were all busy with their own lives but Lucy just wished she could see the team together like they used to be. If only for a day, just pretend that they hadn't drifted apart.

Lucy seated herself at the bar and rested her head in her hands before she got a prod from the youngest Strauss sibling.

"Lucy, are you ok? You seem so down recently." Lisanna asked whilst wiping down the counter. Lisanna had taken over the responsibilities of the bar from Mira who was now taking mission requests with Laxus and running errands for the master.

"I'm fine Lisanna; just tired after my last job it was hard for a solo job." Lucy lied. Admittedly the last job was a little straining but she had gotten used to solo work. She had too; she hadn't been on a job with anyone for nearly half a year.

"Well if you need anything we're always here for you." With a parting smile Lisanna left to tend to the other patrons. Lucy sighed and looked around for any familiar faces, to her dismay she could not find any though it didn't really surprise her. Many people were away for long periods of time these days especially one certain member.

Lucy started to remember where it had all fallen apart.

Natsu and Happy were the first to go, they had saved up enough money to go looking for Igneel again, and next Wendy and Carla left to practice healing magic with Polyersica, she occasionally visited and offered any medical help to those who required it. A short while after Gajeel left to look for his dragon, Metalicana. Levy and Patherlily left with him. She hadn't seen Natsu or the others for over a year now. She would occasionally get a postcard from some far off land from Levy. Wendy would leave a message for her at the bar but they always missed each other. She lost contact with Natsu.

Erza was the last person she went on a job with nearly half a year ago. It was over quickly (as expected from Erza) and when she came back she had heard news of Jellal's whereabouts and went to look for him. No one had heard from her since.

Gray was the only one, as far as Lucy was aware, that hadn't left Magnolia yet. He still came in for jobs and chatted with everyone. Juvia was, more often than not, with him both at the guild and on missions.

Lucy snapped herself out of her revere and went to look at the request board. She was about to pick one up when a certain voice stopped her.

"Hey guys did you miss me?" Lucy turned in what felt like slow motion towards the voice, her heart was hammering in her ribcage, it was so loud she was sure he would hear it. Eyes wide, a pink haired male entered her line of vision. She couldn't believe it, no one had heard a single word from him in over a year and now here he was as if she had willed him to be here.

Charcoal met brown. The well known infectious grin spread across his face at the sight of his friend. Lucy couldn't help but grin back with a tint of pink on her cheeks. she rushed forwards and threw herself at the teammate she had missed so much and hadn't seen so long. He produced a chuckle that ghosted past her ears and hugged her back briefly before pulling away and holding her at arm's length. She immediately knew she wasn't going to like what was coming.

"Lucy it's great to see you, but-"

But

The one word Lucy didn't want to hear.

"I'm only here to see if I can get a quick job to replenish our food money. Happy and I get through it so quickly!"

As her heart was breaking her smile never faltered, she already knew the answer but asked anyway.

"That's great how about I come with you? We have so much to catch up on."

Natsu's grin faded a bit and he cast his eyes down. She recognised the emotion, guilt. She seen it when she, Erza and Gray asked if he wanted some company for the search at the beginning, he had the same expression, because this was something he had to do, and it would be faster with just him and Happy.

"I really would like that, be like the team we used to be but we were going to continue to search straight after the job and just send a message to the guild saying it was completed" Natsu rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, the air was tense and Lucy decided it was time to break it.

"That's okay, but next time you come back we are definitely taking a job together!" she forced a smile and high fived him, whilst he beamed back. They both knew it would never happen.

"Yeah sure! See you round Luce." Natsu yelled his farewells to the rest of the guild members before dashing off.

As Natsu disappeared from view she had a feeling that would be the last time she would see him. A single tear escaped and made its way down her face. She wandered if she would ever see the team together again. Probably not.

**After all nothing lasts forever.**


End file.
